


Waiting Up All Night

by TheBeckster



Category: Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons Series (Video Games), Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns
Genre: Gen, I only spent an hour or so on this, Not Beta Read, Quick writing for quick prompt fills challenge, Starry Night Festival (Harvest Moon), Tumblr Prompt, Winter Holiday Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:14:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28124436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBeckster/pseuds/TheBeckster
Summary: Six kids scheme to finally do it, they’re finally going to catch a glimpse of Santa when he makes his annual visit on the Starry Night Festival. Santa can’t possibly be crafty enough to escape their ingenious plans. Or is he?
Relationships: Colin & Hector (Trio of Towns), Noel & Miranda (Trio of Towns), Shalk & Alma (Trio of Towns), Tatsumi & Yaichi (Trio of Towns)
Kudos: 2





	Waiting Up All Night

**Author's Note:**

> A tumblr prompt fill from the Winter/Holiday Prompt List! It was supposed to be a ficlet but uh... I don't think I know how to actually write short fics, so...
> 
> I got the prompt 'Waiting Up All Night' from Durotos, and after remembering the cute af part of Trio of Towns where you get to play santa for the kids in town, I had to write the fic.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy!

(If you're so inclined, pop by my [tumlr and leave me another prompt](https://beck-a-leck.tumblr.com/post/637628712713617408/winter-holiday-prompt-list)!)

**Waiting Up All Night**

“Okay!” Noel said in her most serious tone, “If we all do our best, one of us is bound to catch him this year.”

The other children gathered around her responded with a chorus of affirmations and nods.

“We’re all a whole year older,” Shalk added with confidence. “I know I can stay up _so much_ later that last year. He’s not getting away from us this year!”

“Yeah!” Alma chirped.

“We have a plan to wake us up, even if we do fall asleep,” Tatsumi said with a sly grin. Beside him, Yaichi nodded enthusiastically if silently.

Colin was the only one at the table to look uneasy with the night’s plan, “I don’t know, you guys… isn’t staying up past our bedtimes and setting up traps the kind of thing that would put us on the naughty list?”

Colin’s worries gave them pause, until Noel continued briskly, “Not at all. He can’t take us off the Nice List for something we haven’t done yet, and by the time we _do it_ tomorrow it will be too late for him to swap out our presents for coal.”

Her sound logic eased Colin’s worry. “You sure?”

“Absolutely.” She turned to Tatsumi and Yaichi, “Tell us about your plan.”

The children bent their heads close while the brothers from Tsuyukusa laid out their plan for an alarm system in low voices. They didn’t want to be overheard by their parents or the other adults around any more than the adults did. Each group had their different conspiracies to keep close to the vest while the Starry Night Festival was fast approaching.

Tomorrow was the festival. And tomorrow night was the night of consensual breaking-and-entering, while the young adults of the three towns delivered specially selected presents to the children. As usual, Santa got all the credit, but the adults didn’t mind. They loved keeping the magic alive in the younger kids a little longer. Already Tigre and Sumomo had aged out of believing in Santa, but they had been roped into the other side of the conspiracy now and happily acted as double agents when the adults needed to know what the younger children were planning.

Each household of children had a plan.

Tatsumi and Yaichi had been surreptitiously putting together an elaborate alarm system; creating a precarious stack of books and toys in an innocuous corner of their room. All that was left to do was set up the carefully laid trip wire before bed. They had, of course, warned their parents about it, because once the alarm was tripped it couldn’t be set up again in time to try and catch Santa and they _absolutely_ did not want a false alarm.

Shizu had warned them that Santa was far trickier than that, and he had his means of sneaking around the house, but she also baited the trap with a snack for Santa. Ittetsu had supervised his sons’ careful set-up of the trip line, and made sure the cat was kept securely in their bedroom before chasing his boys off to bed.

The brothers had utmost confidence in their trap. Santa, magical or not, couldn’t possibly see the black string in the dark room, and with it between him and his snacks (set far away from any doors, windows, or the chimney), the boys knew they would catch a glimpse of him before he had a chance to bolt. So it was with utmost faith in their contraption that Tatsumi and Yaichi settled into bed. They whispered in the darkness, wondering what kind of presents they would get. And Tatsumi couldn’t wait to gloat to the others tomorrow when he got to inform them his alarm system worked like a dream.

Shalk and Alma had a different plan. They suspected their parents were in on the Santa racket – making sure he got in and out of the house unseen every year, the lousy accomplices. Caolila in particular was very strict about absolutely No Santa Traps, because Santa didn’t like to be tricked, and she was in close personal contact with him. They knew she was, because any time they did something naughty she got that look in her eye and lilt in her voice and liked to say, “I guess Santa will be hearing about this one too, huh?”

And Zahau wasn’t any better. In fact the whole village of grown-ups seemed to have a direct line to Santa! It wasn’t fair! Even Mithra claimed to know him – and Shalk believed her the most, because she had traveled so many places, and even she, whi didn’t know how to tell _any_ jokes took Santa seriously.

So tricks and traps were out of the question. They would have to catch Santa the old fashioned way. Shalk and Alma, at least, were lucky to have each other and share a bedroom, because they could take turns staying awake and listening for the slightest sound of Santa in the house. And whoever was awake would wake the other and as silent as shadows, they would sneak out to catch a peek at him. It was foolproof. Taking turns sleeping meant that neither of them would be _too_ sleepy to stay awake and listen, and without any noisy alarms or traps, Santa wouldn’t suspect a thing, so he wouldn’t run away until after they had seen him and he delivered their presents.

And of course, once they saw Santa and got a peek at their presents, they would sneak back to bed and wait until the morning to open their presents again. Because thy both knew that if their mom and dad found out they had stayed up all night _and_ snuck out of bed, they’d be on the Naughty list until they were thirty. Caolila had been very clear about the consequences of breaking the Santa Rules, but what their mother didn’t know couldn’t hurt them.

Shalk took the first watch, sitting bolt up in bed and waiting silently in the dark while Alma slept. It was _two hours_ before his parents even went to bed. He listened intently as the house settled into quiet. Every little sound made his heart leap. Was that Santa? No, just some villagers walking past outside and talking lowly. A creak of the floorboards! Oh, not, just the dog making a lap around the house. Shalk rested his chin on his drawn up knees as he thought sourly how even the pets were in on the Santa thing, because their dog never barked at him. The darkness and the silence pressed in around him. If he strained his ears he could hear some insects singing outside, and the very distant crash of waves on the beach, he could hear night birds chirping. He heard a lone set of footsteps in the sand, and he sat up again, heart hammering, it was him! Shalk held his breath as he listened, but Santa wasn’t being particularly sneaky ad he struck up a conversation with a flock of birds sitting in a nearby tree. Shalk sighed heavily and flopped back against his pillow, it was just Woofio, not Santa.

His eyes were tired, and his pillow felt so nice. Shalk checked the time. It would be Alma’s turn to watch in an hour, he just had to make it that long, and then he could take his turn sleeping. His eyes slid closed, he was just going to rest them for a minute.

Colin didn’t have much of a plan, and truth be told, he wasn’t all that interested in catching Santa. He liked the surprise of waking up and finding presents and well… he wouldn’t dare way it out loud, but he wasn’t all that certain Santa had that much magic power in the first place. Sure he snuck in and out of houses without a sound, and he always brought Colin something amazing, but he never really brought Colin what he _really_ wanted. Never ever, and he asked and prayed for it every year. But, Colin supposed, there were some gifts even Santa couldn’t deliver.

Still, he wasn’t going to be the only one of his friends to _not_ try and catch Santa. And he had the best plan of all to prove Santa’s existence. He had been given a polaroid camera for his birthday this year, and it would be absolutely perfect for catching photographic evidence of the mystery gift-bringer. He just had to set himself up in the perfect place to snap a clear picture, and he knew just the hiding spot.

Colin dutifully went to bed without complaint. He kissed his Pa and Grandma goodnight, and listened through Megan’s Starry Night bedtime story, all the while resting his head on his camera beneath his pillow. When the story was done, Megan gave him a final kiss goodnight and tucked him in and closed the bedroom door behind her. Colin waited quietly, knowing his Pa and Grandma would be going to bed on their own shortly thereafter. Farmers didn’t get to sleep in ever, even on holidays, so they went to bed early too. He heard Megan go to bed, and then Hector shortly after, and once he was certain the adults were closed in their own bedrooms he slipped from bed and tiptoed out of his room and downstairs. Santa had always left his presents by the fireplace in previous years, so Colin hid himself behind the sofa. It faced the fireplace, and would provide a sturdy enough base to set the camera on. He took a moment to get everything in frame, there would be no time to aim carefully when Santa arrived, but with the camera in position, all he would have to do was push the button and capture his evidence.

Now all there was to do was wait. Colin didn’t know how long he might have to wait, but he suspected it would be a while. So he sat on the floor behind the couch, and curled up tight. It was a little chilly downstairs with no fire in the fireplace and all the night turned off. He wished he had remembered to slip on his slippers before sneaking down, but he didn’t want to risk going back upstairs for them. He pulled a crocheted afghan off the back of the couch and huddled up beneath it, tucking it around his cold feet. It wasn’t a very comfortable position, but he dozed anyway, snapping awake at the slightest noise.

He stirred fully awake when the clock struck midnight, last he checked it had been just after ten. Panicked, he peeked over the back of the couch, but there were still no presents. He hadn’t missed Santa. Relieved and also a little disappointed that he couldn’t go back to bed yet, he pulled the afghan around him again and prepared to wait some more.

There was a creak above him. Footsteps on the roof? Colin threw off the afghan and prepared himself and the camera, checking the view one last time. It was still perfect. He waited with bated breath for the sound of someone sliding down the chimney. There were more creaks, more footsteps.

Then the light above the stairs flashed on, and Colin recognized the heavy footsteps troding down the stairs. That hadn’t been Santa, it was his Pa. Colin sighed and pulled his camera off the back of the couch and into his lap. It had always been Pa, hadn’t it? There wasn’t a Santa at all, but his father or grandmother sneaking around the house while he was fast asleep.

Colin quickly wiped away the disappointed tears that were gathering in his eyes as Hector’s foot reached the bottom step. “Colin?” his voice was gruff, “What’re you doing down here at this hour? You’re supposed to be in bed.”

The living room light flicked on. Colin stood up, showing his Pa the camera. “I was trying to wait up for Santa.”

Hector frowned at his son for a moment before sighing. “Santa don’t come if he knows someone’s watching. He’s smarter than that. And you won’t catch him on camera either.”

Colin sniffed quietly and looked at Hector, he wasn’t carrying any presents or hiding anything behind his back, he was just standing there in his pajamas and bathrobe and slippers. Hector gestured Colin over to the couch, and he sat down and pulled his son into his lap. His rough thumb brushed gently across Colin’s cheek, where one tear had managed to escape. “What’s the matter, son? What’re you crying for?”

Colin fiddled with his camera for a moment, he almost didn’t want to ask. Whether the answer was ‘yes’ or ‘no’ they were both equally scary options. But he had to be brave, so he sucked in a breath and asked, “Pa, is there such a thing as Santa?”

Hector was silent for a moment, before saying, “Of course there is.”

“So you’re not the one who brings me presents?”

“I most certainly am not.” Hector was smiling now, and Colin smiled too.

“Really?”

“Really. But, if you’re not in bed and asleep, Santa’s bound to try and skip you this year. He’s a busy man after all, and he doesn’t have _all night_ to wait for just you to go to bed so he can bring your presents.”

Colin felt a strike of alarm. “Is it too late?!”

“Not at all, not if you go back to bed now and try your hardest to fall asleep. And,” Hector took the camera from his son’s hands, “I’m going to hold onto this, in case you get tempted.”

Colin leapt to his feet, “I gotta go then!”

“Quietly!” Hector warned in a whisper. “Don’t wake your grandma, she’s good friends with Santa.”

Colin made a show of zipping his lips and then tiptoes as quickly and quietly as he could back to bed. Hector watched him go and waited to hear his bedroom door close. That was a close one. She checked to make sure the front door was unlocked and flicked on the porch light. Santa, when he got around to their house, would know it was safe to enter.

Noel was absolutely certain, bound and determined, and perfectly confident in her ability to stay awake all night. She had purposefully drank a lot of sugary drinks, because her mom always said they made her hyper, and when she was hyper she was never sleepy. She was practically bouncing off the walls as she brushed her teeth and put on her special Starry Night pajamas.

“Alright,” Miranda said briskly, ushering her daughter from the bathroom into her bedroom. “Go pick the story you want to read to your grandparents, we gotta call them soon before it gets too late.”

This was another Starry Night tradition. Noel and Miranda always called her Grandmas, and in the past, Noel’s grandmothers would read her a bedtime story, but this year, Noel wanted to surprise them with her newly learned reading prowess and read _them_ a story for a change. She already knew what story she was going to read them. She had rehearsed the tale so much she practically had it memorized, special voices and funny sound effects and all. They would love it.

“Okay, phone in my room, let’s go.”

Noel ran from her bedroom to her mother’s bouncing on her big bed while Miranda dialed the phone. The line rang for a moment before it picked up and Noel hear the voiced of her two most favorite old ladies in the whole world. There was a lot of the usual back-and-forth “Hello Mimi. Hello Noel. Hello Nanna. Hello Noel.” and Miranda catching up quickly with her moms, and Noel telling her grandmas all about her life. They were a talkative family, but they all came by it honestly. Finally, after much anticipation, Noel announced that she was going to read the story tonight, something that surprised and pleased her grandmothers.

“Whenever you’re ready, baby girl,” Mimi said encouragingly.

Miranda set the phone receiver on the bedside table. “I think I left the shop light on, you go ahead and read, Noel, and remember to speak clearly so they can hear you through the phone.” She pecked her daughter on the head and scurried from the room.

Noel opened her storybook, cleared her throat, and began reading in a rather loud voice.

“And they lived happily ever after! The End.” Noel snapped her book shut amidst a chorus of applause over the phone line.

“That was wonderful, dear!” Nanna cheered. “I think we might have another performer in our family.”

“Indeed we do,” Miranda chuckled. “Next time y’all visit, she’ll have a special song for you. But now, it’s time for a certain little girl to be in bed. Otherwise Santa won’t be able to come.”

“Well now, we don’t want to miss out on Santa,” Mimi agreed.

They exchanged a great many ‘goodnights’ and ‘goodbyes’ and ‘I love yous’ until finally Miranda returned the phone to the cradle. “Alright, missy, time for bed.”

Noel dragged her feet. “I’m not sleepy.”

“Well, you still gotta be in bed in the dark. You know the rules.”

She groaned. “I’m thirsty.”

“I got you a cup of water when I went to turn off the shop light. It’s waiting on your bedside table.”

She sighed and cast a glance to the still-lit family room. “Can I check and see if Santa came?”

Miranda tutted impatiently, “You haven’t even gone to sleep yet, silly child, how could he possibly have come into the house while you were wide awake?”

Noel was out of excuses. Miranda tucked her into bed and sang her a lullaby and kissed her goodnight. As she left, she turned on the radio so it would softly sing Noel to sleep, then she turned off the light and closed the door.

Noel tossed and turned under her blankets, her strategy to stay awake was, if she didn’t lie too still she wouldn’t get comfy and fall asleep. It was hard though, as her earlier energy had all seemed to disappear and now she felt heavy and tired, and the soft music wasn’t helping much either. But she was determined to stay awake all night. She had to hear Santa arrive.

And she did it! She really did. She stayed awake all night… even if maybe there were a couple times when she rested her eyes and suddenly hours had passed, she knew she didn’t once sleep deep enough to miss hearing Santa on the rooftop. And yet, in the morning, her presents were there and she still had no idea how he possibly could have done it.


End file.
